Son wants an iPhone like his mates

doopydug · 29 Sep 2020 at 21:06

I haven't bought an iphone in years - never looked back since I changed to android so I don't know much about them now or where to buy a good one

His budget ill only allow for an 8+

See so many people getting scammed on marketplaces with bricked or stolen phones

Where is the best place to buy a second hand iphone at a reasonable price?

Throrik · 29 Sep 2020 at 21:26

Have you considered the SE? Cheap and cheerful and does what the majority of people need. Don't know how old the kid is or what they would use it for.

Squink · 29 Sep 2020 at 21:30

Keep an eye on hotukdeals for eBay deals and then buy from a reputable reseller that offers hassle free returns if the phone has a knackered battery or something. As an example, there was an iPhone X for £290 the other day.

Converge · 30 Sep 2020 at 09:39

You could try Amazon Renewed (their name for refurbished). I’ve bought two iPhone X from them in the past for family and they’ve been in perfect condition barring the battery health being down a few percent.

Randomface74 · 30 Sep 2020 at 09:43

Make him earn the money, then he can spend it however he wants.

Terminal_Boy · 30 Sep 2020 at 09:52

Get him a cheap Chinese dumb phone if he’s still at school - PAYG is your friend.

I only got iPhones for my daughters rather than dumb phones because I could get lat year’s iPhones for silly money at the time.

Hades · 1 Oct 2020 at 09:49

It's a tricky one because Apple phones are unnecessarily overpriced in my opinion. But I do understand the peer pressure to have one. I have to admit to getting my kids iphones and ipads too in the past. When I was looking for a used phone I would only buy from here in the MM.

Biz.Kid09 · 1 Oct 2020 at 10:34

MusicMagpie or CEX are not bad options, they give you warranty and are at least a proper company so you have some recourse with any issues.

LiE · 2 Oct 2020 at 07:34

I’ve used The Big Phone Store for the last 2 used phones.

https://www.thebigphonestore.co.uk/refurbished-phones/iphones

icey_haj · 2 Oct 2020 at 11:48

I would say an iPhone SE is the best option. You can get it on the rainforest for £409 at the moment, which is good value.

Feek · 2 Oct 2020 at 12:19

icey_haj said:
I would say an iPhone SE is the best option. You can get it on the rainforest for £409 at the moment, which is good value.

OcUK don’t sell phones so if you mean Amazon, say Amazon.

Alpherah · 2 Oct 2020 at 12:53

I’m in agreement
Value in the SE kills the idea of a refurb anywhere else tbh

Squink · 2 Oct 2020 at 13:16

Alpherah said:
I’m in agreement
Value in the SE kills the idea of a refurb anywhere else tbh

I don't agree. A decent refurb XS is a better product than an SE and can be found cheaper.

EDIT - unless the smaller size is absolutely vital, which isn't clear from the OP.

Alpherah · 2 Oct 2020 at 14:05

Better camera system, better processor ...

refurb probably means dodgy display replacement and / or degraded battery.

unless you want bigger I struggle to see the appeal

ik9000 · 2 Oct 2020 at 14:10

nokia 102. children shouldn't need smartphones. nor do most adults for that matter, but whatever distraction therapy gets you through the day I guess.

Hawk Tuah · 2 Oct 2020 at 14:16

Squink said:
I don't agree. A decent refurb XS is a better product than an SE and can be found cheaper.

EDIT - unless the smaller size is absolutely vital, which isn't clear from the OP.

It's two years old. So Apple will start applying the CPU retardation patch in their next iOS release.

Squink · 2 Oct 2020 at 14:38

Alpherah said:
Better camera system, better processor ...

refurb probably means dodgy display replacement and / or degraded battery.

Buy from a reputable place and if it's faulty, send it back.

As for the better processor, I don't think it's particularly important - the A12 is good enough for anything currently out there and will be good enough for the lifespan of the device.

The XS is a two-year-old premium device. The over-deified SE is a terribly dated form factor with a massively overpowered SoC given how few pixels it needs to move. Give me an XS any day of the week.

Feek · 2 Oct 2020 at 14:51

Alpherah said:
refurb probably means dodgy display replacement and / or degraded battery.

I would only get a refurb from Apple for this reason. If you buy it from anyone else, you have no idea what you're getting.

Squink · 2 Oct 2020 at 15:17

Feek said:
I would only get a refurb from Apple for this reason. If you buy it from anyone else, you have no idea what you're getting.

Apple do a proper job on their refurbs and are one of the few companies who do so (that I know about). The trouble is, many people who want a second hand device want to pay second hand prices. A 64gb refurb XS is £700 on the Apple website. That's a lot of money for a two-year-old phone that can be picked up for under £400 elsewhere and with a 12 month warranty.

Converge · 3 Oct 2020 at 10:57

Feek said:
I would only get a refurb from Apple for this reason. If you buy it from anyone else, you have no idea what you're getting.

I’d add Amazon to that list personally. As I mentioned in a post above, I’ve bought two iPhone X from their renewed section, and they’ve been faultless. One had a battery with 96% battery health and the other had 94%. No damage, no scratches, nothing. Perfect displays.